


Doctor Who: One year... Until everything changes

by TARDIS_Type40_my_all_time_favourite1986



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Diagnosis, F/M, Falling In Love, Illnesses, Love, One Shot, Sad Story, TenRose - Freeform, enjoy life, married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 08:44:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20690705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TARDIS_Type40_my_all_time_favourite1986/pseuds/TARDIS_Type40_my_all_time_favourite1986
Summary: After Rose Tyler learns of a shattered diagnosis, she has only a short time left, which she does not want to waste, no matter how much she has done in the past.She enjoys her last year remaining to her, even if it means losing the most important person to her heart in the end and at the same time leaving.





	Doctor Who: One year... Until everything changes

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, reader
> 
> This time a sad one shot, which shows that dying belongs to it, even if the Doctor (Ten) does not want to accept it for a long time.
> 
> It also shows my philosophy that while you may not always be with loved ones, they can always be taken out of your life, from now on.
> 
> Have fun. 
> 
> Allons-y!

Doctor Who is © by BBC. 

Doctor Who: One year... Until everything changes

Summer 2007 - Summer 2008

For weeks, Rose Tyler had been struggling with a headache, but she did not want to run to the doctor, because she was aware that she will only get prescribed painkillers anyway.

She was in the London University lecture hall, trying to focus on what the professor was telling about the history of art over time. Rose later wanted to take an unusual occupation. She wanted to beautify house walls with paintings, but for that she also needed the knowledge, for example, to commission unusual projects.

However, the headache did not improve and so Rose could not help but place her hands on her temples and drop her head on the tabletop in front of her. The pain was just too much, but she did not want to miss a lesson and instead tried to focus on it.

She could not tell how much time had passed when she suddenly woke up in the hospital, an hour from the university. A young man, who was probably several years older than her, felt her pulse and finally smiled.

„Welcome to the Realm of the Living, Miss Tyler.“ 

He smiled at her and she thought she still had to be unconscious. She had never seen a nicer smile before.  
„I'm doctor David John Smith, but call me Doctor, that's my nickname, always. How are you?“

„A headache.“  
„Yeah, that's what I thought, that's why you're here too. Your headaches are probably coming from too much stress lately.“

She told him how important it was for her to graduate and that she could not afford to just stay away.  
„You have no idea if you suddenly collapse during class, trust me. It could also lead to more stress.“

Rose just looked at him. He talked as if he knew everything about her, never having seen her before.  
„I'll give you some painkillers, but please try to spare yourself.“

She nodded, though she was sure she would not be able to keep that promise. After saying goodbye to her, he left the room and she looked at the pills before she simply put the pack on the bed and without it put the room.

She could not know how the next days would develop.

The headache got worse, but she ignored it and instead focused on the lesson. Rose had a hard time getting a place in this university and she did not want to throw that chance away.

But it got worse and worse, until she finally did not pass out, but started screaming in the middle of the lesson. Immediately all eyes turned to her, but Rose only held her head and shook it.

„We should see to it that Miss Tyler is being examined by a doctor!“, The professor shouted, and it was not long before someone squatted next to her and, in the haze of her perception, she recognized the same man as a few days ago ,  
„I should have flown the pills!“, He said loudly, „then maybe that would not have happened here.“

Ignoring her protest, he picked her up and just carried her out of the hall. She asked again and again that he should let her down, but he did not care. So far, all his patients had not been so stubborn, but she still acted as if everything was fine.

„You can not just kidnap me!“  
„I'm only doing that because you're such a stupid idiot! Do you really think your degree would be more important than your health, Rose?! Damn, you barely survived a tumor two years ago! Please do not throw your life away.“

She looked at him. She barely remembered the time two years ago, as she had pushed them out of her memories as much as possible, she was grateful that she had survived, but she also did not want to think constantly about the background.

The young man in front of her looked genuinely worried.  
„You were my doctor at the time, right?“  
He nodded, but Rose noticed by his look that something was wrong. She also spoke to him about it, but instead of telling her the truth, he just said that she should really rest the next time and left the room with it.

Rose struggled out of bed and ran after him, luckily catching up with him, which was not that difficult as he only got a few meters further.

„You will tell me the truth and I do not want to hear any more excuses.“  
„I can not do that, it would be like I finally condemned you to death. I'm so sorry, Rose Tyler, you're beautiful, but that beauty will never go away.“

She understood, she really understood what he was trying to tell her.  
„How much longer do I have?“  
„One year... maybe. I do not know, I really do not know. The tumor has not only returned, it is very vicious and no matter what it tries, nothing can be changed at the end.“

Rose nodded slightly. One year, that sounds a lot, but she knew that it could be over quickly. She thought briefly about the things she always wanted to do, but for which there was never the right time.

„Would you marry me?“, She asked and he immediately agreed that he was normally expected to think she was crazy, but he did not.

„Come with me, I will not be with you all the time, but I know you will not be alone in the evening.“  
„Alright“, Rose smiled.

~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~

They arrived in the evening and he let them step forward, but Rose really could not believe anything that made his offer truly true.  
„This is mine and for the next year, including your kingdom. Do not worry, it will not hurt you.“

She turned and saw him take off his coat and put his shoes aside. He was so kind to her, but they had only had something to do with each other two years ago, and that time had pushed her out of her memory as well as possible.

Rose stepped closer to him, wondering if he would kiss her. She wanted it by all means. It might sound crazy, but the rest of her life she wanted to have a relationship that was not as bad as it was with Jimmy back then.

Carefully she stood on tiptoe and let her lips gently stroke his, but he only smiled and said that she could calm down, he would not stop her. So she pulled him down and kissed him with caution, but also with curiosity, before she collapsed in his arms and tears ran down her cheeks.

„I... I should have gone to the examination because of the headache, but my stubbornness kept me from doing so. The return of the tumor is probably the punishment for it.“

John gently pushed her into the living room and sat down on the couch with her. He just wanted to protect her, be there for her. Two years ago, when he was her treating doctor, he had completely fallen in love with her, with no possibility of reversing it, but he let her go, because she would have reminded all of him of her at that time.

Now the tumor was back, more malignant than before and no chemotherapy would help. Rose Tyler would die no matter how much he hoped there would still be a miracle.

„How can we watch a movie if you want“, She suggested, but she just shook her head and said she could not focus on it anyway.  
„Then maybe dinner?“  
„Thanks, but I do not think I'm getting anything down now. Doctor, may I call you that ?, do you think it's selfish of me to want to spend the rest of my life with a man I do not know?“

He took a deep breath before saying: „Rose? Since I first met you two years ago, I completely fell in love with you. Yes, you heard right, I'm in love with you, it has not changed since then, what do you think, why I was so angry that you did not take the pills. And yes, I'll marry you because I just want you to enjoy your last year. I love you, Rose Tyler.“

She smiled at him. Of course she could not yet return the words, the feelings, to him, but she was sure she liked him. He was so much different than Jimmy would ever be.

„I'm so glad I'm not alone“, she murmured as he laid gentle kisses on her hair. How much he wanted to help her, how much he gave her the life, the long life, what she deserved, yet doctors were not equipped with the ability to heal anyone completely.

Rose had fallen asleep and he decided to bring her to his bed. He himself would sleep on the couch. Even though he had promised to marry her, he still did not know how much she would allow close.

So he lay awake on the couch all the time thinking about what had happened in the last few days. He had seen the woman he had fallen in love with back then, had to find that the tumor she was able to defeat had returned, leaving her barely a year behind.

And he had agreed to marry her. It was not ready for it. He had promised it in affect because he did not want to hurt her, but in truth he would. Rose Tyler would be hurt no matter how much he wished it was all right.

The night really kept him from all the sleep he really needed and eventually he could not lie down anymore, so he got up and walked up and down the living room. It was just too much for him and he had no idea what to do next.

„You're pretty loud“, she suddenly stood a few feet away, and he could not help but look surprised and apologetic at the same time, before reaching out and pulling her to him.  
„I can not do it“, he whispered, „I can not marry you just to lose you as soon as possible. I've been such a coward in recent years, I should have invited you to dinner after the surgery, but instead of doing that I let you go because I knew you would not feel that way for me anyway.“

Rose looked up at him: „I can learn it, I can learn to love you, but...“  
„It would hurt both of us, right. I know what's going to happen, I'm aware of the consequences, but that does not mean I want to admit it. I want to grow old with you, Rose Tyler, but it probably should not be.“

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. Yes, it was selfish of her, but she did not want to think about what was right and what could be wrong.

„Can I kiss you?“  
„Can? Have you forgotten it since the first time?“  
„Stupid idiot“, she banged her fist lightly on his chest, where he put his hand on hers and she could feel his heartbeat. She looked at him, then shook her head, it had to be imagination.

Gently, he laid his lips on hers again, and this time it was just a quick kiss, a kiss that showed so little and yet told so much.  
„I love you, Rose Tyler, I love you so much that it'll tear me apart when you're gone.“

He did not want to cry, but the tears took on a life of their own, just running down his cheeks. She brushed her fingers away and smiled before pulling him to the bed so he could get some sleep the rest of the night.

Gently, as soon as they lay on the mattress, he let her arms around him and just clung to him. Her face was against his chest and she inhaled his scent.

„Doctor? Are you already sleeping?“  
„I can not, besides, the question is stupid, because if I would sleep, I could not answer you.“  
„You're an idiot“, she grinned.  
„Yes, but I'm your idiot“, he grinned, „but I like it. Please try to sleep a bit, even if I can not do it myself, but you still need the rest.“

She looked up at him and asked if he would be with her when she woke up.  
„I will“, he promised, whereupon Rose closed her eyes and fell asleep within minutes. He himself waited a bit longer until he got out of bed and went to the wardrobe that stood in the room and was still only a disguise. When he opened the doors, a very well-known, blue emergency call cell revealed itself behind it.

„I know it's wrong that I should not do it and let nature take its course but I can not help it but I want to spend my life with a Rose Tyler even if it's not the Rose Tyler is who I met then.“

The TARDIS made a soft sound, which meant that she understood him, but he also had to live to lose her again.  
„I am well aware of that, but that does not mean that I have to accept it. And what frustrates me the most is that even I can not do anything about it. I, the big, the last timelord, have no way to free Rose from this disease, from this tumor.“

He grabbed his hair with both hands and had to hold back very much, not suddenly screaming out loud and just let his frustration out.

Back when he was here for the first time on this timeline, he really met a Rose Tyler who did not know his previous self and therefore knew nothing about Gallifrey and the Timelords. But he had defeated her tumor at that time, but then disappeared because he was too cowardly to confess his true feelings to her. In the days when he was not working as a doctor, he traveled a lot... at least until the day when Rose Tyler suddenly stood in front of him and told him about her headache.

It quickly came out, what was really behind it and that there was no way to cure.

The Doctor went back to the bed, taking the same position as before, hoping that she had not heard of his absence.

~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~

He woke as the first rays of sunlight that reached him tickled his nose. Rose was still in his arms, though he had been awake for some time.

„Good morning“, he smiled. „Did you sleep well?“  
Rose smiled and grabbed his hand as if she needed that gesture for reassurance.  
„What would you think about breakfast? Or are you still not hungry?“  
„Something small and a tea would be good“, she said only, but at the same time she did not let him go. He laughed, took her in his arms and carried her to the kitchen, where he set her down on one of the chairs. However, she immediately asked him if she could help.

„Just sit. Besides, so far I have not starved, haveI?“  
"You may not know that you can eat on the way?"  
"Really?" He grinned, „that's really new to me. That's where I have to run you to find out how it is.“  
Rose shook his head, laughing. He could really be an idiot.

As he made breakfast, she looked around a bit. Still not believing that he really wanted to stay with her the rest of the year, that he wanted to marry her, even if she did not shake the feeling that he was doing it out of friendship, no matter that he was in love with her as well.

„Here, your breakfast“, he put down a plate, „I hope you like it.“

They ate in peace, careful not to be disturbed by anything. When both were finally done and he put the dishes in the dishwasher, she hugged him from behind and rested her head on his back...

...and again she had the feeling that she was feeling a double heartbeat, but that could not be. He was not someone special, just like she was a person who had no special abilities.

„I'm scared“, she admitted quietly, „afraid to be alone in the end. I know that the illness will cause the worst time in the last few weeks that I... that I may not recognize myself again. I'm afraid you'd go then, Doctor, that I would not have anybody to go with me.“

He turned around, hugged her and put his chin on her head.  
„Rose, if I can swear, then the fact that I will stay with you until the last breath that will leave you. I love you so much that although I will die internally in due course, I will not allow you to be alone when it happens.“

And so the months went by. They got married, and both chose the surname Tyler - Smith and had a happy marriage, though many probably did not understand the background.

Finally the time came when Rose was getting worse and worse. It was obvious to her that she was losing her strength, but John wanted to make her as good as possible.

„Happy birthday, my darling“, he kissed her cheek before giving her her present. She looked at him and said that he should not have done so, since their time would soon be over anyway.  
„I wanted it. Come on, open it.“

It was a drawing of them. Rose could not say how grateful she was to him and pulled him in for a kiss.  
„I love you, Doctor.“  
„I love you too, Rose.“

She had never called him John, but that did not bother him. John looked at his wife, despite her illness, the tumor that was slowly killing her, she was still beautiful, even though she now wore a wig and her complexion was very pale.

He had never told her about his true origins and he would not. Even though she asked him about his double heartbeat and he said it just sounded like he was always so excited around her.

When he thought about it, he had the life he wanted with Rose Tyler. He was her husband, her best friend, something he would never dream of. And yet it should not be long.

More weeks passed, and finally the day came when Rose would not wake up in the morning. Despite the pain in his chest, the doctor smiled. He had always wanted to spend his life, this life, with Rose Tyler, and in a way he did. It was not the rose he met then, but she was his rose.

Since he did not want to leave her here, he took her to the TARDIS. He wanted to take her back to his home planet's past to pay her respects there and somehow make her see Gallifrey.

Here ends her story, which began sadly and sadly finds its conclusion. The Doctor soon regenerated, but the memories of the past, no matter how painful they were, no matter how beautiful they were, remained, never to be forgotten, which was one of the finest epochs in the life of one of the most unusual creatures of all time.

The end.


End file.
